1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to X-Y direction input devices for moving a cursor on a screen in a suitable direction, and more particularly to an X-Y direction input device suitably mounted on a keyboard.
2. Prior Art
As an X-Y direction input device for moving and controlling a cursor displayed on a screen of a display device in a suitable direction, a device called "mouse" has been heretofore known. This "mouse" is an X-Y direction input device in which when an operator moves a case housing a ball therein on a base, signals in X and Y directions are removed by the rotation of the ball, and a cursor on the screen is moved to a suitable position in response to these signals.
However, in such an X-Y input device as described above, it is necessary for an operator who has to operate operation keys on the keyboard to move his hand from the keyboard to the mouse whenever the cursor is controlled, which involves a difficulty in operability. Furthermore, since it requires a exclusive-use base for moving the mouse there was a problem in that an area occupied by the whole graphic display is increased.
In view of the foregoing, the present applicant has previously proposed, in order to overcome these problems noted above, an X-Y direction input device which can be incorporated into a keyboard as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open Publication Nos. 9839/62 and 62-28251, etc. In the X-Y direction input device according to these proposals, a drive shaft is support interiorly of a keyboard so that an cylindrical operating member spline-coupled to the drive shaft slides along the drive shaft whereby a displacement in a X direction whereas the drive shaft is rotated in association with the rotation of the operating member whereby a displacement in a Y direction is detected.
According to the X-Y input device proposed by the present applicant as described above, the cylindrical operating member exposed from the top surface of the keyboard is rotated or slid by a finger to thereby detect displacements in X and Y directions according to the operated amount of the operating member. Therefore, the operator can perform the key operation of the keyboard and the position control of the cursor with an integral feeling, thus providing merits of the operability and occupying space.
In a case where various switches similar to the "mouse" such as menu selection switches, cancel switches, and the like are mounted on the X-Y direction input device as mentioned above using the operating member, better operability may be obtained by letting the operating member itself have a function equal to the key top instead providing the key top outside an area of movement of the operating member. However, where the switches are driven by the pressing force to the operating member, when the operating member is slid or rotated, these movements have to be transmitted to rotary type electric parts such as rotary encoders, rotary volumes and the like, and also, when the key top of the operating member is operated, a power transmission between the operating member and the rotary type electric parts has to be maintained. This requires some kind of device.